JavaScript is essential for creating modern, interactive Web sites. But, unlike HTML and CSS, JavaScript is a true programming language with complex rules that are challenging for most Web designers to learn. In JavaScript: The Missing Manual, bestselling author David McFarland teaches you how to use JavaScript in sophisticated ways -- even if you have little or no programming experience. In a clear, entertaining way, the book starts out by teaching you how to build a basic JavaScript program. Then, once you've mastered the structure and terminology, you'll learn how to use advanced JavaScript tools to add useful interactivity to your sites quickly and painlessly, rather than scripting everything from scratch. To jump-start your progress, the book offers several "living examples" -- step-by-step tutorials for building Web site components with JavaScript using raw materials, such as graphics and half-completed Web pages, that you can download from the book's companion Web site. In this book, you will learn:

• How to get started. The book introduces the building blocks of JavaScript, and general tips on computer programming. Learn to add scripts to a Web page; store and manipulate information; communicate with the browser window; respond to events like mouse clicks and form submissions; and identify and modify HTML.

• How to build Web Page Features. McFarland provides real-world examples of JavaScript in action. Learn to create pop-up navigation bars, enhance HTML tables, build an interactive photo gallery, and make Web forms more usable. Create interesting user interfaces with tabbed panels, accordion panels and pop-up dialog boxes.

• How to troubleshoot and debug. The book will teach you how to avoid the ten most common errors new programmers make, and how to find and fix bugs.

• How to communicate with the Web server. In addition to basic JavaScript, this manual covers Ajax, the approach that made JavaScript glamorous. Learn to use JavaScript to communicate with a server so that your Web pages can receive information without having to reload.

If you want to put JavaScript to work right away without getting tangled up in code, JavaScript: The Missing Manual is the best book available.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 24 Ratings

Extremely elementary treatment + poor coding style examples - 2009-08-06
Reviewer Rating:
As other reviewers have commented, this book is extremely elementary and not really suitable for anyone who already knows any C-like programming language (C, C++, java, Perl, etc.). Further, the decision to combine a rock bottom entry level introduction to Javascript with the advanced and somewhat confusing jQuery framework is also questionable (how does this make this the missing *javascript* manual?). A small quibble: the examples given in the book use a rather poor coding style. For example starting an else if on the same line of the closing right bracket of an if just leads to completely unreadable code. Of course style is a matter of taste. In light of the existence of the exhaustive "Javascript: The Definitive Guide" by David Flanagan (recommended) ", calling this book "Javascript: The Missing Manual" is both inaccurate and demonstrates a fair amount of hubris.

i think it's missing one very import thing - 2009-06-26
Reviewer Rating:
i really don't like knocking somebody's book, i bought it for the jQuery stuff. unfortunately i think he missed something very essential, he doesn't quite fully cover the javascript object! he doesn't talk about creating the var myObj = {}; adding properties to myObj and pushing that object into an array (or into another object). he sees arrays as having object properties, (which they do) but he really missed the power of using the javascript object as a variable. in my opinion that is a giant hole so i have to give his book a B; javascript's superpower is objects / in objects / in objects...

Finally! Get the Javascript answers you've been seeking - 2009-06-26
Reviewer Rating:
McFarland's work offers answers to the questions that other instructional sources leave unanswered.

My experience has been that both his Javascript and CSS books contain clear and concise explanations and examples that have helped me quickly learn these new languages.

Great. For beginners, but great. - 2009-10-02
Reviewer Rating:
The writing style was good. An excellent book for what it is. I would love the Advanced Javascript The Missing Manual. Again no complaints about this book.

Excellent - 2009-07-15
Reviewer Rating:
Excellent book for beginners! Very well written and easy to follow. I am a complete beginner when it comes to Javascript.
The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is that I don't think it will make for a very good reference book. Granted, it doesn't purport to be a reference book, but I have other beginning JS books that present the available methods and function in nice tabular format as they introduce them. This book does not have much of that.
Great book to learn from... once you have read it, not sure it's a good book to refer to.

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